Exuberant Colt's-foot

Colt's-foot, Tussilago farfara, is one of the earliest of our wild plants to come into flower, so lots are now forming and shedding their seeds. Compared with Dandelions and other cousins in the Compositae family, they are real show-offs. Their seed heads always make me think of the extravagant hats that old eccentric aunts wear to weddings...though perhaps this is just a strange personal thing! Anyway, they seem rather proud of their solid mass of seed parachutes waiting to launch off in the wind. They hold on to them longer than their cousins, taking the chance to show off before letting go of these exotic head-dresses.